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Scribes hurt in baton charge in Nepal
Rice to Pak
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Indo-US bodies urge UN to declare Pak a terrorist state
‘Bush shoe’ creates 100 new jobs
in Turkey
Missile strikes kill 8 in Pak tribal belt
Man asks neighbour to divorce wife
English couple on terror trail
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Scribes hurt in baton charge in Nepal
A dozen of journalists were injured in a scuffle between journalists and the police when the Federation of Nepalese Journalist (FNJ) organised a protest rally against the increasing attack on press freedom and Himalmedia personnel and property, on Sunday. The police baton charged journalists interfering in a peaceful protest in the capital city, which the home ministry had declared prohibited area to hold any kind of seminars, workshops or protest rallies. The FNJ said they had sought permission from the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range. Condemning the attack on journalists, the Nepal Press Union said the home minister should apologise publicly taking moral responsibility of the government. The federation also said it would announce series of protest programmes against the attack on press freedom in a few days. The rally started from New Baneswor and the mass gathered at Maithighar Mandala, chanting slogans against the assault on press. Senior politicians, activists, lawyers and constituent assembly members participated in the rally against the attack on Himalmedia. Publishers and editors of all major national newspapers, television, radio and online news portals on Monday decided to leave their editorial spaces blank on Tuesday’s editions protesting against the Maoist-aligned trade union cadres attack on Himalmedia. TV stations will carry a message after the signature tune instead of the headlines on their news broadcasts, and similar announcements on radio news bulletins and news portals. This was decided at a meeting of Editors Alliance and Media Society on Monday evening. They have issued a press release strongly condemning the attack. The Maoist-affiliated All-Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Labour Union on Sunday attacked the staff of Himalmedia, inflicting injuries on two and vandalising the Hatiban-based office property. Executive editor of Himal Kiran Nepal said the lawyers are working on filing the complaints against the attack. “As soon as the process completes in few days, the complaint will be filed against the attack at Metropolitan Police Range Office, Lalitpur.” This is the first time in the history of Nepal where all media organisations have decided to leave their editorial space blank unilaterally protesting against the government. Meanwhile, issuing a statement, US Embassy in Kathmandu has deounced the assult on Himalmedia, saying that it is a blatant attack against freedom of press in Nepal.
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Rice to Pak
Washington, December 22 “...but this really comes down to dealing with the problem, and that means that Pakistan has got to do everything that it can to help bring the perpetrators to justice,” she said. “And then also make sure they know as much as they possibly as they can so that you don’t have a follow-on attack of some kind,” Rice told the Financial Times in an interview. The Secretary of State also said Pakistan should really take on the issue of terrorism and extremism. “They now know it (terrorism) will consume them if they don’t, but this is a very tough problem for this civilian government,” she said. Rice indicated that the fate of Indo-Pak relationship depended on the action Islamabad took against the groups which New Delhi asserts were behind the deadly attacks. She also noted that India and Pakistan have developed good relations with each other in the past couple of years and they would like to “preserve” them. “They had no relationship between them (in 2001). We had not terribly deep relations with India or with Pakistan because it was just post-September 11th. “Now, we have very strong relations with India, really deep relations with India, very good relations with Pakistan. I felt that when I went there I was drawing on a reservoir of trust with the Indians that was quite deep,” she said. — PTI
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Indo-US bodies urge UN to declare Pak a terrorist state
New York, December 22 The demonstrators, from New York and adjoining New Jersey and Connecticut states spearheaded by overseas friends of the BJP and Indian-American Intellectual Forum, demanded that the international community take action against Saudi Arabia also as groups based there had been funding the terror operations, which are planned and executed from Pakistan. The international community, they said, need impose economic sanction against Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and force Islamabad to rein in its “infamous” Inter-Service Intelligence which, they alleged, provides logistic and other support to terrorists. If Pakistan does not hand over the suspects that India has demanded, they should be tried by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, they said. The demonstrators carried pictures of Jewish couple Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and wife Rivka, who were murdered by the terrorists during Mumbai attacks, with caption: “It is a crime to be a Jew?” The demonstration began with a silence observed for one minute to pay homage to the victims of Mumbai attacks and the police officers, who were killed in the action. “Who is funding terrorism?’ Saudi Arabia,” “Down with Pakistan,” “Pakistan, a failed state,” “stop aid to Pakistan,” and “Radical Islam is the worldwide problem,” were among the slogans that they shouted. — PTI
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‘Bush shoe’ creates 100 new jobs
in Turkey
London, December 22 Ever since the incident, Ramazan Baydan, the owner of the Istanbul-based Baydan Shoe Company, has been swamped with orders from across the world. In fact, Baydan has recruited an additional 100 staff to meet orders for 3,00,000 pairs of Model 271, more than four times the shoe’s normal annual sale, following an outpouring of support for Zaidi’s act, The Guardian reported. Orders have come mainly from the US and Britain, and from neighbouring Muslim countries, he said. Around 1,20,000 pairs have been ordered from Iraq, while a US company has placed a request for 18,000. A sharp rise in orders has been recorded in Syria, Egypt and Iran, where the shoemaker’s federation has offered to provide Zaidi and family with a lifetime’s supply of shoes. And, to meet the mood of the marketplace, Baydan is planning to rename the model “Bush Shoe” or “Bye-Bye Bush”. “We’ve been selling these shoes for years, but thanks to Bush, orders are flying in like crazy. We’ve even hired an agency to look at television advertising,” he was quoted by the British newspaper as saying. — PTI
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Missile strikes kill 8 in Pak tribal belt
Islamabad, December 22 The missiles targeted and destroyed two gun-mounted vehicles, which were being used by the militants to fire on the unmanned aerial vehicles, local residents said. Four persons were killed as one of the missiles blasted away one of the armed vehicles and a fort-like house adjacent to it in Karikot village in south Waziristan. Minutes later, the other missile hit a house in the adjacent Azam Warsak village and the missile hits caused huge fires, forcing the panicked residents on to the streets. Seconds before being hit, the residents said, militants on one of the gun-mounted vehicles had opened fire from an anti-aircraft gun after spotting the drones. It was not immediately known if any senior Taliban or al-Qaida leaders were killed. But local tribesmen said the people killed were members of Pakistani Taliban group. — PTI
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Man asks neighbour to divorce wife
Dubai, December 22 Curiously, the girl’s husband rejected the offer, but asked for 1,00,000 Dinar instead, which the billionaire thought to be excessive. The billionaire was staying in a villa opposite the couple’s apartment. After his offer was turned down, the rich sheikh started harassing the woman, the Arab Times said. The couple is now planning to move to another apartment. — UNI
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English couple on terror trail
London, December 22 However, the couple, Jason and Jenny Cairns-Lawrence from the West Midlands, must be among the world’s luckiest people as they escaped unhurt after being in the cities during the terror attacks. “It’s a strange coincidence. The terror attacks just happened when we were in the cities. I shouldn’t be laughing about it, but it is a strange coincidence,” Jenny (26), a dental laboratory worker, said. “Maybe we will think about putting it all down on paper some day, but neither of us is a good enough writer,” she added. The Dudley-based couple love their holidays, but wherever they go, the cities seem to experience devastating terrorist strikes. They were in New York on September 11, 2001, when about 3,000 persons were killed, after plane hijackers crashed into the World Trade Centre bringing down the twin towers. Four years later, they were in London on July 7, when four terrorists used suicide bombs to blow up tube trains and buses, claiming the lives of 52 commuters. And on November 26 this year, Jason and Jenny found themselves in Mumbai when the Indian city came under siege from the Islamic terrorists, but here too they succeeded in cheating the death. Praising Mumbai, the couple said the speedy recovery of the Indian city had been an inspiration. — PTI
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